Device for treating or inspecting a material, use of the device

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and its use for multiphoton printing for the additive manufacture of three-dimensional structures or for the inspection of these and other structures of comparable size ratios in the presence of an inspection medium. In order to manufacture and inspect three-dimensional structures that have varying properties and/or material compositions, the device according to the invention is characterized by a locally selective material feed ( 9 ), a locally selective material discharge ( 11 ) and locally selective, focused emission or reception of electromagnetic radiation.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A device for multi-photon printing of a printed material comprising:
 a material delivery, having at least a first material outlet and a second material outlet, respectively configured for position-selective, dosable individual delivery of at least a first liquid or pasty material and a second liquid or pasty material to a working point of the device in order to form a printed material portion on a substrate, wherein the material delivery is connected to a first reservoir of the first liquid or pasty material and to a second reservoir of the second liquid or pasty material, wherein at least one of the first reservoir and the second reservoir comprises a photocrosslinkable printing material; 
 a material discharge having at least one material inlet, configured for the position-selective discharge of the first liquid or pasty material from the working point; and 
 an optical unit comprising an objective configured to generate or receive electromagnetic radiation, to emit the electromagnetic radiation, and to align and focus the electromagnetic radiation onto the working point for the purpose of multi-photon printing of the printed material thereon. 
 
     
     
       2. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the objective is configured to be positionable at a distance from the working point such that a radiation output of the objective, from which the electromagnetic radiation is emitted, is able to be in physical contact with the printed material portion. 
     
     
       3. The device of  claim 1 , wherein a lower side of the objective facing the working point comprises a positioning aid for positioning the first liquid or pasty material between the objective and the substrate. 
     
     
       4. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the material delivery and the material discharge comprise microfluidic components. 
     
     
       5. The device of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a holding device configured to hold the substrate and the objective relative to one another; 
 a positioning device configured to position the objective, the first material outlet, and the holding device relative to one another; and 
 a control unit configured to control and communicatively connected to the optical unit, the material delivery, the material discharge, and the positioning device. 
 
     
     
       6. A method of using the device of  claim 1 , wherein the optical unit is configured for position-selective, focused irradiation of the photocrosslinkable printing material in the course of a succession of radiation intervals, the method comprising:
 supplying at least a first printing material that is photocrosslinkable; 
 delivering, by the material delivery, at least a portion of the first printing material to the working point; 
 concurrently with the delivering, generating a printing portion comprising at least the portion of the first printing material at the working point; 
 irradiating, with the optical unit, the printing portion during a radiation interval, in such a way that multiphoton processes are induced in the printing portion and a structural element, which comprises at least the portion of the first printing material, is formed as a result thereof; 
 discharging parts of the portion of the first printing material from the working point; and 
 repeating the delivering, the generating, and the irradiating to generate a three-dimensional structure comprising a multiplicity of structural elements. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 delivering a second printing material to the working point, wherein the second printing material is different from the first printing material. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the optical unit comprises a radiation output facing the working point, the method further comprising:
 bringing the radiation output into physical contact with the printed material portion during the irradiating. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the printing portion is formed within a matrix which consists of an open-pored material and transparent to wavelengths used for the irradiating. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the delivering and the discharging take place simultaneously. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 6 , wherein the three-dimensional structure is constructed from substructures with a periodic repetition of the substructures, and wherein a size of a given substructure of the substructures is less than 500 nm. 
     
     
       12. A method of using the device of  claim 1  to inspect an object at the working point, the method comprising:
 supplying at least a first immersion medium; 
 delivering, by the material delivery, a portion of the first immersion medium to the working point; 
 setting of a distance between the objective and the working point in such a way that a surface of the objective is in physical contact with the first immersion medium; 
 focusing the optical unit onto the working point; and 
 discharging at least parts of the first immersion medium. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , further comprising at least partially substituting the first immersion medium with a second immersion medium. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the at least partially substituting the first immersion medium is carried out with the aid of an alteration of the object, which is determined during the method. 
     
     
       15. The device of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the device is configured for observing the material printed at the working point; and 
 wherein one of the first reservoir or the second reservoir comprises a liquid or pasty immersion medium; 
 wherein one of the first material outlet or the second material outlet is configured for location-selective, metered supply of the liquid or pasty immersion medium to the working point to form an immersion medium portion of the liquid or pasty immersion medium at the working point such that the liquid or pasty immersion medium is in direct contact with the printed material.